| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Wednesday morning! Garden State Initiative, the think tank headed by former Christie Chief of Staff Regina Egea, has typically been a counterpoint to the Murphy administration. Ah, but you see, that was before the Goldman Sachs executive-turned New Jersey governor revealed that underneath that “aw shucks” grin and newfound mop top, he’s actually a “cold-blooded capitalist.” POLITICO’s Caroline Petrow-Cohen yesterday wrote about how the governor’s decision to let New Jersey’s 11.5 percent corporate tax rate sunset has won him some unusual pro-business allies on the issue, like Garden State Initiative and the NJBIA, while alienating the progressive groups that Murphy was so often aligned with during his first term. At a Chamber of Commerce event in Atlantic City yesterday, Murphy defended the decision. Whether this is some kind of political movement to the center by Murphy or just a reversion to his capitalist ways, I don’t know. But I would think it makes more political sense for presidential contenders to moderate their progressivism after they’ve got the Democratic primary in the bag. TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This is really bad … How long before we start seeing dead children washing up on the beach?” — A Facebook user’s comment on the recent whale deaths HAPPY BIRTHDAY — L. Grace Spencer, Justin Zaremba, Katie Wertheimer, Brian Bauerle WHERE’S MURPHY? No public schedule |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
CADDLE CALL — “Sentencing delayed for political operative at center of bizarre NJ murder for hire case,” by The Record’s Ashley Balcerzak: “Sean Caddle, the man who pleaded guilty to paying two hit men to kill his former friend and associate, will be sentenced in Newark on June 29, three months later than scheduled, U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez said during a 10-minute conference call Tuesday. Probation officers were scheduled to interview Caddle to prepare a pre-sentencing report earlier this month, but the meeting was pushed back because Caddle's mother died after she suffered a severe ‘medical episode’ that likely caused a two-car crash on Feb. 27. Diane P. Caddle, 72, was the co-signer of her son's $1 million unsecured appearance bond. … The landlord of his Sussex County home filed for eviction, writing in court filings that Caddle and his family owe more than $10,000 in unpaid rent. His eviction trial, also postponed in the wake of his mother's death, was rescheduled for March 28. ‘At this point, his cooperation with the government is really at a conclusion," said Lee Cortes, executive assistant U.S. attorney. "It's also my understanding that his mother was his co-signer, and so we feel that we're going to be reconsidering the conditions of his release if he's not able to find" a new one. "At this point, the government is weighing whether we should have a bail hearing.’”
CONGESTED ROADS, TAKE ME HOME, TO THE SPACE ZOO AND FARM —“Why is New Jersey the only state that’s never had a state song?” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Alfred Lubrano: “New Jersey is the only state that’s never had a state song. This is a place, mind you, that has taken the time to designate a state mollusk shell (the knobbed whelk); a state dance (the square dance); and a state microbe (Streptomyces griseus) — not to mention a state animal, flower, fruit, bug, reptile, and dinosaur. … Why no song? … ‘It’s a political hot potato,’ said Tom Cunningham, host of the ‘Springsteen on Sunday’ radio program, 107.1 The Boss (WWZY-FM, Asbury Park), and an editor at All Access Music Group, a radio and record industry website. ‘You’ve got North, Central, and South Jersey — unique areas with their own ideas about music. Hopefully, one day the twain shall meet. But not now.’ … Besides, ‘there’s just no one song that speaks to everybody in this state, with great images and an appealing tune, like ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ does for West Virginia,’ said John Weingart, associate director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers” —Fisher to retire as secretary of agriculture —“Lawmakers to consider dumping graduation test, as students take it” —“N.J.’s most populous county needs promised light rail extension, lawmaker says” —“NJ Transit approves a $19M annual funding for agency building Gateway rail tunnel” —Lawmakers ditch controversial age provision in small employer health insurance reform — “Black women remain underrepresented in politics nationally, but NJ shows progress” —“AG Platkin says ‘tough-on-crime’ approach is working” —“NJ Transit would save money by building a hybrid backup power plant, study says” —“What's it like to hear voices? NJ course aims to help police aid those in mental crisis” —“Work at time of fatal Sea Isle City balcony collapse lacked proper permitting”
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SQUEEZING ALL THE JUICE FROM THE FLORIDA ORANGE — “Chris Christie is suddenly the next Kissinger? Former NJ governor blasts DeSantis,” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “Talking tough to donors in Texas, Christie mocked DeSantis — without mentioning his name — for lacking foreign policy chops. Christie pounced on DeSantis for asserting during a Fox News interview that the U.S. cannot afford to engage in a ’proxy war with China’ by providing a ‘blank check’ to Ukraine … The swipe begs another question: Who suddenly made Chris Christie the second coming of Cordell Hull or Henry Kissinger? Just where did he build such an impressive foreign policy resume during his eight years in Trenton? By taking presidential-buzz-building junkets to Mexico, Canada and Britain? Getting whisked to Israel on casino magnate Sheldon Adelson's private plane in 2012 or partying with U2's Bono at his ‘friend’ King Abdullah's residence and a champagne reception in the desert?”
DIVEY LEAGUE — “Princeton senior arrested in connection with Jan. 6 Capitol riot,” by The Daily Princetonian’s Julian Hartman-Sigall and Bridget O'Neill: “On March 14, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Larry Giberson ’23 was arrested in relation to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. … Giberson, a politics major from Manahawkin, N.J., was charged with civil disorder, a felony, and related misdemeanor offenses, according to a DOJ report. According to the Justice department, images and video from Jan. 6 show Giberson and a group of rioters coordinating a ‘heave-ho’ pushing effort” in an attempt to weave their way into the Capitol through the Lower West Terrace ‘tunnel’ entrance. At the tunnel, one Capitol police officer was dragged into the crowd. The DOJ states Giberson started chanting ‘Drag them out!’ and cheered as weapons and pepper spray were used on Capitol police officers in the tunnel.” FROM OUR COUSINS AT SHIFT — New Jersey Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker sent a letter Tuesday to Starbucks imploring the coffee company to step up negotiations with the handful of Garden State stores who have voted to unionize. “Despite the first store in New Jersey unionizing over 10 months ago, and despite the first store nationwide unionizing over a year ago, your company has yet to form a first contract with our unionized constituents at your stores,” the pair of Democrats wrote, adding that the “delays seem to fit an anti-union pattern that are simply unacceptable.” The pressure comes as the company remains under intense scrutiny from the NLRB, and outgoing leader Howard Schultz is scheduled to testify before the Senate HELP Committee towards the end of the month. Starbucks has repeatedly said it does not believe unionization is in the best interest of its employees, while denying accusations they engaged in illegal activity to discourage or retaliate against organizing. —“Van Drew, other Congress members call for answers on offshore wind and whales” —“No Democrats from N.J. are on NRCC target list” | | LOCAL | |
THE PATH NOT TAKEN — “New rail station to be built ahead of delayed PATH Newark Airport extension,” by NJ Advance Media’s Larry Higgs: “Residents of Newark’s South Ward, who asked for rail service as part of a proposed PATH line extension to serve Newark Airport, will get a rail station sooner and not have to wait for the larger project to be funded and built. Port Authority commissioners are scheduled to vote Thursday on authorizing $12 million for preliminary design and planning work for a new South Ward multi-modal station on the Northeast Corridor Line to serve south Newark and Elizabeth, dubbed the EWR Station Access Project. However, it will be a NJ Transit train taking them to and from the airport instead of PATH.”
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE PEOPLE WHO THINK KIDS SHOULDN’T LEARN ANATOMY — “Ali calls out ‘sexually charged’ attacks against Fantasia,” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox: “A week after her party endorsed Sussex County Commissioner Dawn Fantasia (R-Franklin) for the Assembly, Morris County GOP chairwoman Laura Marie Ali today decried what she called ‘lewd’ and’ ‘sexually charged’ attacks from Fantasia’s Republican primary opponents. In an Instagram post from February 27, Warren County Commissioner Jason Sarnoski (R-Independence) attacked Fantasia, whom he will face in the June Assembly primary, as ‘Gas Tax Dawn’ and said she would ‘bend over’ for higher taxes; the post was liked by his 24th District running mate, Lafayette Board of Education President Josh Aikens.” TOMS RIVER — “'There is still fear': Toms River residents slam settling suit over Ciba polluted land,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Jean Mikle: “The state faces an uphill battle to convince residents that a proposed settlement that would preserve 1,000 acres of the former Ciba-Geigy Superfund site is a good deal for Toms River. That much was clear following a five-hour public hearing held by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Monday night, at which dozens of residents, environmental activists and public officials expressed skepticism about the plan. Their comments reflected the deep scars Ciba-Geigy's years of industrial contamination have left on the community. … Residents, many of whom related stories of how they, or their relatives and friends, had suffered health impacts they believe were connected to Ciba's long history of chemical dumping, chastised the DEP for not being more transparent about the settlement talks. Others said they believed BASF is getting a much better deal from the settlement than the people of Toms River.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | MORE LIKE LIE-BRARY — “Town’s decision to sell off ‘obsolete’ library violated public bidding laws, N.J. high court says,” by NJ Advance Media’s Ted Sherman: “Despite attracting tens of thousands of visitors and its use more than 150,000 times a year, the [West Orange] claimed the library qualified as an area in need of redevelopment and sold off the property to a private developer. But the New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday essentially ruled one cannot judge a book by its cover. … the court said the township could not simply designate it as an area in need of redevelopment and sell it without public bidding … The legal challenge was brought by Kevin Malanga, a local attorney and activist who argued in his filings that the transaction was little more than a scheme devised by the township to sell the library to a favored private developer, who proposed a senior housing development, without public bidding.” TUF TIME — ‘NJ school board member caught shoplifting at Petco, cops say,” by NJ 101.5’s Rick Rickman: “A Monroe school board member is accused of stealing from a Monmouth County Petco just after the start of the new year. Court records show that Peter Tufano is charged with shoplifting at the pet store located at the Marlboro Commons. … In 2020, an online petition calling for Tufano's resignation for ‘countless irresponsible and derogatory remarks’ made in a private Facebook group garnered more than 5,600 signatures. Despite the petition, Tufano easily won re-election for a second three-year term in November 2022” —“Proposed Jersey City school budget hits $1 billion, but taxpayers may catch a break” —“Judges deny appeal to reverse Palisades Park council appointment. Here's what we know” —Snowflack: “The canon of Gannon” —“Three public meetings planned on wind power projects” —“Assistant principal sexually abused student and [South Orange-Maplewood] district did nothing, lawsuit alleges” —“Longtime Local 54 president resigning to lead national pension fund” —“Dover braces for mayoral rematch: Blackman, Dodd will face off again in primary” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
SOME SAY HE’S DONE A BETTER JOB — “Bergen man claims to be NJ Transit CEO, steals agency garb, starts bus fire, authorities charge,” by The Daily Voice’s Jerry DeMarco: “A Bergen County man with the same name as NJ TRANSIT's top executive claimed to be him after he was caught stealing uniforms from the agency's garage in Fairview and igniting a fire on one of its buses, authorities charged. Kevin J. Corbett, an unemployed 42-year-old Hillsdale resident, entered the facility off Anderson Avenue in street clothes before dawn Saturday, March 11, a complaint on file in Superior Court in Hackensack says. He then stole an NJ Transit raincoat, an agency uniform shirt and a roll of receipt paper, it says. … Transit police consulted the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office before charging Corbett with impersonating a public servant, burglary, theft, criminal mischief and trespassing”
A GENERATION’S CAR-CENTRIC POLICIES CATCHES UP WITH IT — “When it's time to stop driving, how can seniors get around car-centric New Jersey?” by The Record’s Scott Fallon: “When Jo-Anne Williams rode in the car with her elderly in-laws in Bergen County for the last time, her father-in-law sat behind the steering wheel even though he had advancing macular degeneration, an age-related eye disease that causes the loss of central vision. His wife, in the passenger seat, described for him each approaching signal light and stop sign. "She was the eyes,” Williams said. “It was terrifying to see, but that was how they were going to the grocery store.” Williams' family is far from alone. … The issue also underscores that many of New Jersey’s suburbs are not built for seniors. The lack of easily accessible transit — and even sidewalks, in some communities — turn single-family homes into islands and cars into rafts. ‘The result is forced isolation,’ said Ashley Ermer, a Montclair State University professor who focuses on senior issues.” MAYBE HIS MOM WILL MISS HIM — “Authorities: NJ man threatened Florida sheriff who stood up to neo-Nazi groups,” by News 12’s Matt Trapani: “A South Brunswick man is facing charges after he allegedly threatened to kill a Florida sheriff who recently stood up against a neo-Nazi hate group. Richard Golden, 38, was arrested at his mother’s home in the Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick. Authorities say that Golden made anonymous online threats to kill Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. Officials say that Golden made the comments in a 4chan chat on Feb. 22. He and other users were allegedly discussing Chitwood’s response to recent hate activity in Florida. Golden allegedly wrote, ‘Just shoot Chitwood in the head and murder him.’ … He … faces extradition to Florida. ‘I cannot wait to meet him when he gets off the plane,’ Chitwood said, ‘because one of the first faces he’s going to see welcoming him to the Volusia County Jail, the happiest place on earth, is going to be me.’” —“Parents of Bergen County terror victim Darren Drake 'lived the trauma,' glad trial is over” —“[Bloomfield College] will offer 1 year’s salary as severance to professors as merger looms, union says”
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